Blunt carotid artery injury after accidental neck compression: report of a case

Almost all cases of carotid artery injury are precipitated by a high-energy impact such as motor vehicle accidents or gunshot wounds, and are usually diagnosed using angiography. We report herein a case of carotid artery injury induced by a low-energy insult with rare clinical signs which was diagnosed using ultrasonography as well as angiography. A 37-year-old man sustained an accidental compression of the neck and was transferred to our emergency room. Horner's syndrome and phrenic nerve palsy were detected on the left side. Ultrasonography demonstrated two sites of injury with an intimal flap of the distal left common carotid artery as well as angiography. The patient was placed on anticoagulants and was discharged on the 10th hospital day with both Horner's syndrome and phrenic nerve palsy. This case suggests that surgeons should investigate any possible carotid artery injury, even after low-velocity injuries such as compression of the neck, and therefore an ultrasonic examination should be performed at the initial evaluation and at follow-up studies. In addition, further investigations are also called for to investigate the utility of anticoagulation in the treatment of carotid artery injury.